Bottle washer cup



Nov. 10, 1959 J. WELLIVER BOTTLE WASHER CUP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1957 V INVENTOR. BY wgafim Jo/m Well/yer Nov. 10, 1959 .1. WELLIVER BOTTLE WASHER CUP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 John Well/var Filed July 8, 1957 INVENTOR.

United States Patent BO'ITLE WASHER CUP Johii Welliver, Millville, Pa., assignor to Girton Manufactu'nng Company, Inc., .Millville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 8, 1957, Serial No. 670,495

15 Claims.- (Cl. 198-131) This invention relates to bottle washing equipment and more particularly to 'a novel cup for accommodating bottles while they are moved through the various washing stations in a bottle washing machine.

One of the major problems encountered in bottle washers built to .handlejiallsizes of bottles from half pints through half gallons," is in the cup which holds the bottles. .When'the cups are large enough to handle half gallon bottles, half pint bottles will sometimes become jammed across the pocket. The result is that the half pint bottle does not receive the full cleaning treatment and in some instances excessive breakage is ex perienced.

The bottle washing equipment with which the invention deals is embodied in various types of machines, but each of them has cups in which the bottles are supported while the bottles are being propelled through the various stages of washing operations. For complete cleaning treatment the bottle has to be in a generally upright position within the cup because the lower wall or bottom of the cup is apertured. In soaker type washers the cup will be completely submerged during part of the cycle of .operation, but there are spray rinses and washing steps in which the opening at the bottom of the cup is used as a passageway for the spray to enter the bottle in the cup. Should the bottle be tilted, instead of a copious cleaning wash, the bottle will receive less than design washing and in some instances, the bottle may be so arranged in the cup that no rinse or wash spray water will enter the bottle.

Washers of the soaker type or of other types necessitate heat application to the bottles for bactericidal action Glass bottles and the metal cups that accommodate the bottles have dissimilar coeificients of expansion. With the smaller bottles,for example half pints, moving in the cups during the normal washing operation, and with the accompanying temperature changes of both cup and hottle. sometimes the bottle becomes bound and jammed because. of the expansion of the bottle with respect to the 'cup occurring when the bottle is at a transverse or somewhat transverse position in the cup. When jamming occurs in part or wholly due to this cause the bottlesare difficult to remove and will not of their own accord become gravity lowered to the correct orientation. In some instances this results directly or indirectly inexcessive bottle breakage.

An object of this invention is to overcome the above described difiiculties in'o-rder to increase the effectiveness of bottle washing machines of the various models and makes which use cups within which to support various sizes of bottles while the same are moved to the various cleaning stages of which the machine is capable. This is achieved by providing openings in the side walls of the cup in order to provide passageways for the small bottles and by providing bumpers or guides in the sidewalls of the cup which further aid in the direction of the bottles as they tumble during washing operations. The provi- Patented I Nov. 10, 1959 provide a new cup insofar as the functioning thereof is concerned. It becomes unnecessary to contend with partially washed half pint bottles and breakage beyond reason since the half pint bottles are capable of becoming oriented to the correct position in the cup without jamming. The novel walls of the cup enable this to happen and they also have a second order advantage in enabling liquid to more easily flow into and from the cup in soaker washers.

Other objects and important features will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

Figure l is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of part of a typical washer for various sizes of milk bottles, the washer being commercially available at the present time and being schematically representative of any type of bottle washing machine which conveys the bottles through various cleaning steps or stages in the machine;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a group of cups connected by a bracket such as would be used in a number of machines, these cups having a variety of bottles in them showing that the cups are capable of accepting and accommodating polygonal as well as round milk bottles and of sizes which range from half pints to hal gallons;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of one of the cups;

Figure 4 is a top view of the cup in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the cup of Figure 3 and taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the cup and taken on the line 66 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a group of perspective views showing a half pint bottle in operation as it is being washed in the cup of Figure 3.

In the accompanying drawings there is a bottle washing machine 10 which is schematically represented and which is intended to be a generalization of the many models and makes of bottle washing machines which are in existence, or commercially available, or which may be constructed in the future. Machine 10 is constructed of a housing 12 in which there is an endless conveyor 14 capable of propelling the bottles through the various washing treatment stages of the machine. The illus-- trated machine happens to be a soaker type washer in which the bottles are moved through an emersion stage together with a number of other stages that are unshown. However, the bottle inlet stage is represented by tray 14 on which the bottles are placed after which they are loaded into groups as at 16 (Figure 2) of cups which are either a part of or carried by the endless conveyor '14.

.. The bottles, after being cleaned, are ejected onto a dission of openings in the correct places in the side walls chargeconveyor 18 which carries them laterally out of the machine for subsequent handling.

The group 16 of cups is made of cups 2t), 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30. These cups are held unified by bracket 32 which spans the cups transversely of each and which is secured to them. Bracket 32 is bolted or otherwise at tached to the left and right conveyor members which constitute a part of conveyor 14.

The present practice is to construct a machine capable of handling bottles which vary in sizes from half pints through half gallons and which will accommodate the particular rectangular or' circular bottles. Since the pockets of the cups may be made of a size to accept the larger bottles in this group and retain them without much movement there is no problem encountered. Howjamming for several reasons. One is -that the capacity of the machine would have to be reduced because only five cups could be put in a group instead of six as shown in Figure 2. Secondly, the problem encountered by the half pint bottle could very likely be encountered b y the pint bottle instead of the half pint bottle. T hi rd, it is necessary that the bottles assume a correct orientation in the cups and retain that orientation so that they will accept the spray steps of the machine. Making ,the cups larger and permitting the halt pints to roll about at random, could frustrate this necessity. p

A typical cup 20 has five side walls 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 with walls 41 and 44 being perpendicular to wall 40, ana hema walls 42 and 43bein'g' inclined at a rounded corner junction 46 at a point directly opposed from the vertical center line of wall 40. The-other corners 47, 48, 49 and SObetWe'en the walls are each rounded. The lower parts 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 of. the fi've side walls are inclined inwardly, toward the lower end wall or bottom 58 of cup 20 scum the bottles are guided toward the longitudinal center of cup 20. Slot ,60 is formed in the lower part 52 of wall 40 and between wall or wall parts 54 and 55 and in the bottom wall 58. An enlargement 62 of slot 60 is formed in the bottom 58 to admit wash and rinse sprays as the cup is propelled through its path of travel'in machine 10. .Openings 68 and 70 are formed in rounded corners 47 and 50 and in the adjacent walls of the cup. The openings are spaced from the upper open end of the cup and from thelowerend of the upper portions of the side walls. Opening 68 has a pair of side edges 71 and 72 which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cup, a bottom edge 73 which is perpendicular to the same axis, and an upper edge 74 which is, inclined upwardly tron-1 the upper part of edge 72 to the upper part of edge 71. Therefore the opening 68 is describable as being four-sided but has rounded corners. Opening 70 is shaped. the same as opening .68 and is in the same horizontal planes as opening 68. The intermediate opening 78 is oval shaped with the longer axis being parallel to the longitudinal axis of cup 20. It is formed in the rounded corner 46 and is locatedin a common horizontal plane with openings 68 and 70 when viewing the cup in elevation.

Bumpers or guides 88 and 82" are formed in side walls 43 and 42 respectively. They are located above openings 68 and 70. with the lower ends thereof being approximately coincidentrwith the, upper rounded corner formed by the inclined edge 74 and longer edge 71 of opening 68 and corresponding edges of opening 70. Guides 80 and 82 are elongated depressions which protrude inwardly ofthe pocket 84 that is formed by the various walls and bottom of the cup 20. The longitudinal axes of the depressions 80 and 82 are parallel and also parallelto the longitudinal axis of opening 78. These direct the half pint bottle as it moves within the pocket 84, preventing it from becoming jammed at this place in the pocket and requiring it' to rotate, revolve end-for-end, etc. through the openings.

Themotions of atypical half pint bottle in typical cup 90 of Figure 7 are depicted. As machine is in ordinary operation, the bottle 85 which is a half pint bottle, is required to move from a downwardly opening position with the neck of the bottle resting on the bottom of the cup, to an inverted position inasmuch as the cup 90 becomes inverted to accept spray treatments. During these movements the difiiculties encountered in ordinary cups are overcome inasmuch as the ends of the bottles are capable of sweeping through the openings. In these motions guides 80 and 82 constrain the sliding movement of the ends of the bottle and tend to direct it through the three openings enabling the bottle to become settled in the correct upright position.

It is understood that various changes and modifications 7 4 may be made without departing from the claimed invention.

What is claimed as new is.as follows:

1. In a machine for washing milk bottles, the machine having a conveyor provided with means to accommodate bottle cups the improvement comprising groups of rigid cups, each group being connected with said means, each rigid cup having a plurality of substantially fiat side walls with inwardly tapered lower ends, a bottom wall connected to said taperedlowerends said walls and bottom defining a bottle pocket thataccommodates bottles of a variety of sizes, and at least one of the side Walls of saidcups having an openingtoprovide space in the pocket within which the smaller bottles may tilt and turn while the cup is being propelled through the washing machine.

2. In a machine for washing milk bottle s, .the machine having a conveyor provided with means to a'ccommodate bottle cups, theimprovement comprising groups of cups, each group being connected withsaid means, each rigid cup, having an open upper end and a plurality of substantially flat sidewalls with inwardly tapered lower ends, a bottom wall connected to, said. tapered lower. ends, said walls and bottom definin'g a' bottle pocket that accommodates bottles of avarie'tyof sizes,.some of said cup walls having openings located in. spaced re;

lation ship with saidbottom wall and open upper. end and into which the ends of the small bottles' are capable of moving when the cup is moved by said conveyor. l v

3. The cup of claim 2 wherein thereare .bu mpers in theside walls of said cup and spaced from said openings and disposed between said open upper. end and. said openings to direct the small bottles which move around within said pocket. 7 I I 4. A rigid bottle cup thath'as a plurality ofsubstantially flat side walls and rounded cornersconnecting said side walls, said cup beingf adaptednto be propelled. in

a p'redeter mined travel for exposing the bottle. therein:

to various cleaning steps and said cup being of..dimen sions andof a sizecapable ofaccepting halt' gallo n milk? bottles, one of said side walls ,being imperforate, and two of said side walls having openingsthrough which the ends of the smaller bottlesare adapted to pass when the smaller bottles are moved at random within the- 5. A rigid bottle cup that has a plurality of.

tially flat side walls and roundedcorne'rs' connecting said side walls,] said cup being adapted to propelled inn predetermined travel for exposing the bottle therein to various cleaningsteps and, said cup, being ofjdiniexiq sions and of a size.capa,ble ..0f accepting half gal lo n t milk bottles, two of said ,side walls having openings through which the ends of thesmaller bottles are adapted to pass when the smaller bottles are moved ,at' random withinthe cup, longitudinal projectionsjjnl some of the,

side walls of said cup and constituting guides for the ends of the smaller bottles.

6. A rigid cup for accommodating that are ito be washed and that rangefrom onehalf to' hal f gallon size, said cup havingapluralityof essentially flat side wallsconnecte'dby rounded corne'r's',, s aid side walls having upper parts which are uniformly spacedfront end pint bottle as the same is mo vediin' the c'up during the propulsion of the cup through awashingl'cycle 7. The combination of claim 6'wh'er'eii1" there is'aiii additional opening in said cjlp mana a tot openings in said i l dli d dpc'liiiig inioiie of said rounded,

corners and the adjacent'side walls and'th'eo'ther ofsaid all t tu openings being in another of said corners and the adjacent side walls.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein there is an additional opening located between said two openings and in another of said rounded corners.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein there are depressions formed in two of the side walls of said cup and located adjacent to said openings.

10. The cup of claim 9 wherein all of said openings are located alongside of each other, and said depressions are spaced therefrom but disposed between two of said openings.

11. A bottle carrier comprising a rigid cup having a first, a second and a third substantially fiat and rigid side wall, a fourth and fifth rigid side wall connected with said first and third walls, an apical portion of said cup con necting said fourth and fifth side walls, the distance across said fourth and fifth side walls at their junctions with said first and third side walls being approximately equal to the distance across said second side wall, said side walls having inwardly tapered lower portions, a bottom wall at the lower extremities of said inwardly tapered por tions and on which the neck of a bottle is adapted to be disposed, and said first and fifth side walls having an opening at the junction thereof to provide a passage for the smaller bottles when the smaller bottles become tilted in the cup during the movements of the rigid cup.

12. The carrier of claim 11 wherein there is an opening at said apical portion between said fourth and fifth side walls to provide additional space for the corners of a smaler bottle as it turns in said rigid cup.

13. The bottle carrier cup of claim 11 wherein there is an inwardly projecting bumper protruding inwardly of the cup to further direct the movement of the small bottle as it moves within the cup.

14. A bottle carrier comprising a rigid cup having a first, a second and a third substantially flat and rigid side wall, a fourth and fifth rigid side wall connected with said first and third walls, an apical portion of said cup connecting said fourth and fifth side walls, the distance across said fourth and fifth side walls at their junctions with said first and third side walls being approximately equal to the distance across said second side wall, said side walls having inwardly tapered lower portions, 3 bottom wall at the lower extremities of said inwardly tapered portions and on which the neck of a bottle is adapted to be disposed, said first and fifth side walls having an opening at the junctionthereof to provide a passage for the smaller bottles when the smaller bottles become tilted in the cup during the movements of the rigid cup, and said third and fourth side walls having an opening at their juncture and similar to the first mentioned opening.

15. The carrier of claim 14 wherein there is an opening at said apical portion between said fourth and fifth side walls to provide additional space for the corners of a smaller bottle as it turns in said rigid cup, and at least one inwardly projecting bumper on one of said walls adjacent to one of said openings to further direct the travel of the small bottle as it moves within said cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 809,514 Loew et a1. Ian. 9, 1906 2,051,091 Ladewig Aug. 18, 1936 2,660,290 McCabe Nov. 23, 1953 2,804,966 McCabe Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 696,850 Germany Oct. 1, 1940 

